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A Superficial Question, or maybe just a stupid one

I don't think Pope Francis will have the answer. But who knows...maybe he does.

Question: What has happened to pot holders? You know those square (sometimes rectangle), thick, easily manipulated things that sat by the stove and permitted hot pots to be moved. I have conducted a wide search for someone who asked for them for Christmas. Pot holders are now mostly silicone, wormy things that are hard to hold and to grasp a pot with. Or they are flimsey decorative pieces of cloth sewn together.

Have I missed a recall? New safety whatsies? Anyone know?

And what about the candy cane situation... None to be had! Gone the way of real jelly beans.

Comments

I've found both objects lately, and it wasn't all that difficult. But maybe it's a regional thing, too. The higher end stores are less likely to have the more mundane pot holders, but mid-range and lower end places, and a fair number of online merchants still carry them. Candy canes are easily found in most drugstores where I live. Or do you have something specific in mind as defining a 'real' candy cane?

Margaret, I searched for potholders a couple of years ago. I hate the stiff silicone ones and the huge mitt ones. Dangerous. I found some that I liked at Berea College's crafts store (online), but they don't sell them anymore. (Their baby blankets are the best ever.) Chefs don't use potholders. Just towels.

Candy canes. Yuck. Terrible colors now and weird flavor and texture. The way the old ones dissolved, as they did when used to suck the juice out of an orange at Girl Scout camp, was great. (Vermont Country Store might have better ones. Not sure.)

She reported not being able to find any. Recently in her kitchen, I had to grab a towel to pull something out of the oven. I see her problem and I have made it my mission to find some. I gave her the last ones (maybe a la Bill deHaas for her wedding). I bought them for zilch at Zabar's, which now has only the silcone ones. The decline of the West continues apace!

I sort of had the same thoughts as i shop at Target alot and i noticed their pot holders are flimsy looking. i bought some, really only beause i love the look of them, I havn't used them because they feel so flimsy.[No regulations ?] I have one set of now frayed [real] potholdes and two mitts.I use the potholders and the mitts at the same time when taking something out of the oven. My mother gave me beautiful thick real kitchen towels and told me i should use those instead of potholders.l. havn't only because i don' t want them to wear out. It 's time i did as my pot holders are torn and theTarget ones feel like they'll burn if i place them anywhere near the stove.Then again -i only checked out the discount section of Target-where you walk in and they have all these pleasing to the eye but cheap suff on display. I should check the actual housewares section.[Theyre not as nice lookng as the decorative cheap ones i think may be the reason i have not been tempted to go there] .

Our pot holders are woven cotten in brilliant colors made on a square loom by the grandchildren when they were quite young. But these are small so you always need a couple to get a roasting pan out of the oven.

Who needs a pot holder when they have a towel? Your daughter is giving you an impossible task. She doesn't want a pot holder. She wants you to spend fruitless hours in search of it, and if you find it, it'll be proof of your love for her.

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Without no seam nor needle work,
Then she'll be a true love of mine.

Tell her to find me an acre of land,
Between the salt water and the sea strand,
Then she'll be a true love of mine.

I am not a fuss about this, but homemade potholders lack the essential padding that protects the fingers and palms from burns when grasping hot pots and pans.

I am also not a fuss about the apparently overwhelming statistic (mirrored in the last three posts) that men seen to think handmade potholders are just the thing. I know there are some men who don't think that; they're just not posting at dotCwl.

If Jerusalem is in anyone's travel plans, skip the usual kitschy tourist trap stores and head to the gift shop run by the nuns at St. Peter in Gallicantu, on the eastern slope of Mt. Zion (not far from the Jaffa Gate). They have truly beautiful nativity sets made from olive wood ... no, not junk! ... that are hand-carved by artists who know how to (1) choose beautiful wood and (2) take advantage of the wood grain when deciding how to carve the figuerines. The last time I was there (about 5 years ago) the sets were going for $35 each.

If you are going to be in Jerusalem, visiting the gift shop is well worth your time and money.

I am not a fuss about this, but homemade potholders lack the essential padding that protects the fingers and palms from burns when grasping hot pots and pans

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Our handmade potholders are thick, sturdy things. My wife uses them for large, very hot, iron pans. When I asked her where she got them, though, she didn't remember. Just "various places". We live close to Amish country, so it could be one or more came from there.